FET Colleges…the answer for our education system?

South African Grade 12 pupils have started their final examinations. For many, this is an exciting time as they think about what the future holds for them. But for some, this is a stressful time. Many pupils have not registered to further their studies in 2013, due to financial strains and the limited space in our universities.

With the UJ registration debacle that took place earlier this year, it is evident that our school leavers value education and the role it plays in our economic liberation. With that said, most South Africans who are low to middle class income earners cannot afford the exorbitant university fees nor can the older less privileged masses afford to up-skill themselves. What other alternatives are there for a country with such an extensive unemployment rate and with limited new job opportunities?

Vocational education through Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, apprenticeships and learnerships seem to be the logical way to curb the skills shortage and the economic and educational frustrations our people are facing. President Jacob Zuma’s announcement earlier this year that the government has allocated R2.5 billion towards the refurbishment and construction of new Further Education and Training (FET) colleges over the next three years is a step in the right direction.

The skills development summit, held in April 2012 provided a platform for FET college principals to engage with President Zuma on the central role FETs within the country's skills development strategy and in particular, government's new infrastructure development priority programme, plays.

"Universities are important in any economy but the example of successful industrial economies such as Germany point to the importance of vocationally-based training, rooted in an apprenticeship model... Such a vocational focus enables the building of a strong manufacturing base and productive economy," Zuma said.

FET colleges provide theory and practical education in many vocations including agriculture, manufacturing, construction, forestry, and mining – ultimately preparing the students for the work place environment. Steve Loubser, principal at Desto, a privately owned FET college based in Pretoria explains, “Learners require workplace experience because employers are reluctant to employ people who lack experience. We (FET colleges) enter as the third party alleviating these restrictions by providing theory and practical training to the learners to obtain the required education and skills simultaneously.”

Desto is an education, training and development company that on average trains two thousand learners per annum, providing the market place with competent and skilled people.

The company also provides learnership and apprenticeship opportunities to its students and contributes to business and social development. The college has been involved in community upliftment through the provision of labour and the obtainment of private sponsorships for community projects such as building RDP houses, community centres, upgrading schools and churches, a current example being the TLC old-age home being built by their students in Hammanskraal.

Some privately owned FET colleges, such as Desto, are SETA accredited adhering to the different SETAs requirements, presenting learnerships in Information Technology, New Venture Creation, Forestry, Construction, Security and Cabinet Making, providing on the job training services for companies and thus supplying employers with adequately trained employees.

FET colleges are no longer learning institutions to be frowned upon; they could possibly be the only option, particularly for the disadvantaged majority. University fees are not getting any cheaper, employers demand work experience and skills.

Zuma re-iterated this by calling on society to change their mind-sets to enable FET colleges to become institutions of choice for many young people, so the country could obtain much needed technical skills.

By Naledi Masopha